Re: Stand up

["Sam Hobbs" <samhobbs@mindspring.com>]

The alt.quotations faq has an article on the wording and a citation:
When Hitler attacked the Jews I was not a Jew, therefore, I was not
concerned. And when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic, and
therefore, I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the unions and the
industrialists, I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned.
Then, Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church -- and there was nobody
left to be concerned.
--- Martin Niemoller (1892-1984)
in Congressional Record 14 October 1968, p. 31636
A slightly different (and the more usually quoted) form than material cited
in the Congressional Record is:
In Germany, the Nazis came for the Communists and I didn't speak up because
I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up
because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the labour unionists and I
didn't speak up because I was not a labour unionist. Then they came for the
Catholics and I was a Protestant so I didn't speak up. Then they came for me
. . . By that time there was no one to speak up for anyone.
Neimoller was a U-boat skipper during WWI who in 1924 was ordained a
Lutheran pastor, Niemöller didn't see the nature of the Nazi menace quickly
enough. He regretted for the rest of his life that he and other clergy
hadn't denounced the Nazis relentlessly from the pulpit from the first time
the Sturmabteilung took to the streets. He felt that, had they done so, it
would have awakened the German people and perhaps saved millions of lives.
He spent the years 1937-1945 in Dachau, where he narrowly escaped execution
several times.
Ed C <zendam@snet.net> posted the additional biographical information
following the quote 1999-03-23.
Regards,
Sam